Set Point: Dilemmas for U.S. in international play

Unfortunate turn of events for the U.S. Fed Cup team this week, as both Williams sisters will not play for very different reasons.

Paul Crocetti

Unfortunate turn of events for the U.S. Fed Cup team this week, as both Williams sisters will not play for very different reasons.

Serena Williams is blaming exhaustion, while sister Venus says she signed up for another tournament that weekend, not realizing it was also the date for the important Fed Cup tie.

Serena, coming off a win at the Miami Masters, was upset early in her next tournament last week and said she was going to take some time off. It’s too bad that her time away from the game has to come at the expense of the Fed Cup team. If the U.S. beats France next weekend, the Americans will play in the main Fed Cup draw next year for a shot at the title, as they did earlier this year before faltering against Italy. If the U.S. loses, the Americans drop out of that Fed Cup title contention.

The Americans do have a few good younger players competing, including #18 Sloane Stephens. But when Serena plays singles and the two sisters play doubles, it’s essentially a lock of a win, which is what the U.S. really needed after a disaster of a Fed Cup appearance in March.

And in September, the U.S. men’s Davis Cup team hosts Slovakia. The men are in a similar position to the women – win and they compete for the title next year. The men also had a rough go of it earlier this year against Great Britain.

It’s too bad the U.S. teams have not been more competitive this year because last weekend showed how exciting this international tournament can be, as three of the four ties went to a deciding fifth match. And suddenly Switzerland, not usually a Davis Cup powerhouse, is looking to be the team to beat with Roger Federer playing along with fellow top 5 Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka.